The libretto Hugo von Hofmannsthal wrote in 1911, a time when he was deeply immersed in the world of arabic fairy tales, was for a »fantastic opera«. These influences colour the three act opera, which received its world premiere at the Vienna State Opera in 1919.
After a year of marriage the Empress still does not cast a shadow; she is infertile and must therefore return to the spirit world, from whence she came before entering the world of mankind. Her nurse encourages her to persuade the dyer's wife to sell her shadow but when she sees the suffering this brings to the poor couple the Empress decides she would rather submit to her fate rather than be the cause of such misery. This sacrifice proves to be her redemption and leads to a wonderfully happy ending. Rooted in a world of dreams Die Frau ohne Schatten was written, to a large extent, at a time in which the world was dominated by World War I. Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal began thinking about working on a fourth joint opera in 1911. The score was completed six years later. The world premiere in October 1919 at the Vienna State Opera was not received very well; probably because of the strange imagery and interwoven threads in the story. Hofmannsthal combined subjects from Oriental and Occidental literature, including the Old Testament, Goethe's Faust and fairy tales from the East into the story about the daughter of the King of the Spirit World who marries a human Emperor. If, after a year, she is still not able to cast a shadow her husband will be turned to stone. The poor Dyer's wife is eventually persuaded to sells her shadow, against her husband's wishes, in return for the promise of a better life… Christof Nel's production grips you from the first moment. His treatment of the characters is extraordinary. This, and Sebastian Weigle's masterly conducting of the complicated, rich score, played a significant role in Oper Frankfurt being voted »Opera House of the Year« - Sebastian Weigle was also voted »Conductor of the Year« - in 2003.